Status Updates From L. Ron Hubbard Presents Wri...

And there went another retrospective piece by Dean Wesley Smith. I like Benford’s more. Back to the stories.

Heartfelt little retrospective by author and longtime contest judge Gregory Benford in this volume. Cheers, Greg.

“Five Days Until Sunset” by Lance Robinson is classic hard sci-fi. I’m not sure I buy that the main character’s epiphany toward the end solves his problem—really, he should redefine the concept of home somehow—but whatever.

“Life and Death and Love in the Bayou” has a sweet ending, but there are multiple points against it for me. The blood motif gets beaten into the ground, the protagonist’s voice is schizophrenic, and honestly, I just find the Bayou treatment to be cliche, though I admit that last one is a me-problem (for some, the setting will be new!). So: Not my favorite piece in the book. But your mileage may vary.

Galen Westlake’s “The Imagalisk” is adorable. Well done.

“Nonzero” by Tom Vandermolen has some quality writing but I’ve got mixed feelings about it. There’s not really a full plot or character arc, even though there could have been.

Perhaps I’m being too judgmental. Vandermolen had me invested; surely that counts for a lot.

Finished “Son, Spirit, Snake” by Jack Nash, the collection’s second story. There’s a lot to like here, particularly regarding the world-building—I can certainly understand why it was selected—but I liked the characters by the end of the tale, rather than early on, when it would’ve mattered.

Also, god, I hope the other author bios in this collection aren’t like the ones I’ve read so far.

The novel I asked to borrow from the library is taking forever, so I decided to read a short story or two while I wait.

“The Edge of Where My Light Is Cast” by Sky McKinnon has a cute idea and makes a sweet story from it. We’re off to a good start.